Is a coffee table just an ordinary item of furniture that has found its way into most living rooms? Yes, it is a table but can it be more? With the right coffee table, you can enliven your living room in myriad of ways and even dress the space with touches of your own personal style.

You can buy coffee tables in different materials but a rustic piece of furniture can have an edge over others. Rustic furniture can decorate a room with simple elegance that can have a powerful impact.

Consider these five tips to select the perfect coffee table for your home.

Skip the Usual

When it comes to coffee tables, it is best to skip the usual tropes and select an item that speaks to you. You obviously don’t want to hide your coffee table. So, select a rustic design that can defy conventions. You don’t need to stick to dimension or color restrictions. If you like a red rustic coffee table for a room full of muted colors – by all means go for it.

Don’t weigh down your choice by the need for storage. Think of design first and storage later. You may find various fantastic rustic coffee tables with minimum storage options but those may be just right for your living room. You can use the table top as the placement for items that may add further character to it such as books, an antique clock in gold, or an accent piece in wrought iron.

Use it as the Focal Point

You can either blend your coffee table with rest of your living room décor or use it as the focal point in that space. The latter seems like a better option when using a piece of furniture in the middle of a seating area. So, a red rustic coffee table will stand out with black or beige sofas and rugs. A reclaimed wood table can stand out amidst any kind of décor.

You can also buy custom tables with unusual designs. For instance, a wooden table with patterns made with glass tiles on the top. You can even choose a unique shape and order it through custom design stores. At times, a simple coffee table with no additional elements can pull the focus towards itself in ways that may not seem possible in the times of over-the-top trends in home décor.

Tell a Story

Rustic furniture items are perfect to use as storytelling elements in your living room. Often, for a single piece of rustic furniture, designers source materials from different places. So, your coffee table could have elements from different countries and even different eras. The top could come from a barn in Mexico while the legs could come from stables in another place.

If you buy your rustic coffee table from custom furniture designers, you can even know its history and use it to define your whole room. For example, you can use other decorative elements or furnishings reflective of the same place or era as the table. It can create a symphony in your décor that won’t look overtly synchronized or matched.

Keep it Natural

Rustic coffee tables are often made with reclaimed wood that can contain irregular features and natural patterns. Select a table that you can use in all its natural glory. You can skip stains altogether or at least choose tables with colors as close to the natural wood.

Create Contrasts with its Placement

Wood is the perfect material to create endless contrasts in any space. Select a table in natural wood color and use it as the base to create a colorful living room. You can use red, brick, yellow, fuchsia, purple, and even black for furnishings in the same room.

You can also create contrast with materials. Pair a wooden rustic coffee table with vintage glass accents such as lamps with golden wires or stained glass vases. You can place these accents in the space between the sofas or in your living room corners. Similarly, you can use wrought iron items with a really striking rustic coffee table.

Upholstery is an important component of home furnishings. With simple upholstery modifications, you can transform old pieces of furniture and a plain room completely. But in order to transform your living space with the right upholstery, you need to use the right fabric for your home.

To choose the perfect decorative fabric for your home, consider your home’ design, your lifestyle, and aesthetics as the yardsticks for your purchase. The best decorative fabrics contain certain qualities that make them ideal for use in many settings.

Quality

Whether you are considering buying new upholstery fabric as a homeowner or a design professional; quality of a product is nonnegotiable. Synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, and rayon are often mixed together to create superior fabric blends. Polyester is also often used alone or blended with rayon for a variety of home furnishings needs such as for sofas and curtains.

Superior quality rayon is not only very durable but also a practical fabric for households with kids and pets. Decorative fabric brands such as Barrow and Magnolia use such superior blends in their products to offer quality to their customers. Barrow fabrics are available in different types of blends to offer varied options to homeowners. Some of their fabrics contain blends of acrylic and linen with rayon and polyester. Magnolia Fabrics in viscose and linen blends are perfect for those who love the natural feel of cotton but wish it was easier to maintain.

Acrylic looks like wool but offers more durability as it can resist wear and tear better. Synthetic blends imitate natural fabrics perfectly but always offer more in terms of quality. Synthetic materials also require less care than natural fabrics like cotton, wool, and linen. So, choose a fabric blend that is ideal for your home use.

Design

The design of a decorative fabric must work well with your furniture no doubt. But it must also complement your home’s décor.

Damask fabrics offer richness and can make a space look opulent. Choose damasks in gray, red, and dark hues to create a luxurious living room. Geometric patterns on upholstery can help you to create a casual yet stylish space. Fabrics in linen finishes are ideal for formal settings. Barrow fabrics in linen finishes are available in a variety of colors. So, you can create mix and match decorative looks using colors in the same family or build contrasts of gray and black; coral and beige, or light blue with violet.

Funky upholstery designs are not for everyone. But you can use them in your kid’s room to upholster a chair or be a little adventurous and highlight an ottoman in the living room with bold patterns. Magnolia fabrics are available in patterns featuring loud colors and offbeat designs such as mermaids, animals, and uneven prints. Such fabric designs are perfect to create unconventional living spaces using everyday furniture pieces such as sofas, ottomans, and chairs.

Floral or embroidered patterns are more suitable for formal settings. Oriental printed designs can help you add freshness to your rooms with their simple elegance.

Color

The color scheme in a space can completely make or ruin the look of a room. Use of two colors in the same fabric can work with modern décor and also help to dramatize a space with some exceptional design. For instance, Barrow fabrics in black and gray with an unusual geometric design can work with any wall color and look exceptional with other contemporary accents.

You can use solid colors to highlight a certain corner or piece of furniture. For instance, plain red Magnolia fabrics on sofas in a living room with white and pink floral curtains can uplift any home’s décor.

When finalizing colors for decorative fabrics, go with your design instincts and choose exciting patterns boldly. Use of right color schemes can instantly brighten up even the drabbest of spaces and help to recreate rooms with minimum fuss and efforts.

With decorative fabrics, it is possible to combine practical considerations with exceptional designs and colors. Choose brands that offer a range of fabric blends and styles.